"I want to be the female George Clooney," Longoria, 40, says in the August issue of InStyle. "He directs, produces and stars. I want to be in charge of the final product."

The Desperate Housewives alum and self-proclaimed "control freak" also wants to clear up a misconception about her rise to fame: "Everyone goes, 'Oh, she's an actor–turned–director,' and I'm like, 'No, I was always a director and a producer who happened to become an actor.' "

Eva Longoria may be best known for her role as the sultry Gabrielle Solis from Desperate Housewives or as a producer of Lifetime's Devious Maids and the documentary Food Chains, but if she weren't in the entertainment industry, she knows exactly what she'd be doing instead – and her answer might surprise you.

"I would definitely be in corporate America," Longoria told PEOPLE at Tuesday's Svedka Summer Fiesta Celebration in Beverly Hills.

"I love business," continues Longoria, 40. In particular, she can't get enough of "using [her] brain" and says she enjoys producing because she likes the "business side of the industry."

Eva Longoria may have starred in a top-rated television program for eight seasons, but as the last member of her family to receive a Master's degree, she was considered an "underachiever" in her household.